LANSING – Michigan will avoid a state government shutdown after Governor Gretchen Whitmer, House Speaker Matt Hall, and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks announced a budget agreement late Wednesday. Lawmakers said the spending plan will be passed before the October 1 deadline.

Whitmer, in a video statement on social media, said the plan will “lower costs, cut taxes for seniors and working families, create jobs, fund schools, fix roads and keep people safe.” The agreement includes $1.5 billion for road funding, which will grow to $1.8 billion over five years, along with revenue from a new marijuana tax.

Meanwhile, Michigan is facing a federal lawsuit from the Trump administration. The suit targets the state and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for refusing to provide complete voter registration data, which federal officials argue violates the law. Benson called the lawsuit a “power grab,” noting that five other states face similar challenges.

In Lansing, 39-year-old Brian Blalock has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault with intent to murder. Prosecutors say he killed 36-year-old Christopher Stipanuk in April 2024 in downtown Lansing, just months after shooting another man at a hotel near Cedar Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The second victim survived.

Elsewhere, Michigan State Police are investigating the deaths of two people in a Jackson house fire as suspicious. The victims have been identified as 46-year-old Michael McGehe and 44-year-old Sherry Porter. The fire broke out last week on Maple Lane Road.

A new state study also highlights the impact of harm reduction services in Michigan. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, these programs help cut hospitalizations and emergency visits by providing tools such as naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses. They also work to slow the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. Currently, 37 agencies operate more than 100 harm reduction sites statewide.